1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to drapery systems which are mounted on cut to measure one piece traverse tracks mounted to a wall or the ceiling of a room.
2. Description of the prior art.
It is well known to use a traverse track assembly to install drapery systems. The traverse track is mounted directly to the ceiling or is mounted on brackets attached to the wall and includes a channel within said track. Transport carriers are supported within the track by each carrier's rollers that cooperate with the channel. Each carrier supports a hook which in turn supports the drapery at a particular point. Carrier and hook spaced at equal intervals support the drapery and allow the drapery to be opened or closed as the transport carriers are rolled along the track's channel.
The track supports the entire weight of the drapery system. The carriers must roll within this channel for the opening and closing of the drapery. These carriers must have a smooth and uninterrupted length to roll. Thus the channel is best constructed of one continuous length of material spanning the entire length of the window, wall or opening to be covered; the traverse track extends this entire length.
The end of each drapery includes a "return" which is the small portion at the end of a drapery after the last pleat. This return portion generally wraps around the corner of a traverse track. A return support enhances the general appearance of a drapery. In addition when a black out drapery is used, this return wraps around the traverse track and helps keep out light where the end edge of the drapery meets the interior wall. Thus the return and return support prevent light leaks.
Present traverse track equipment does not provide a device to support this return. The installer must install a return support, which prior to this present invention has been usually mounted as a separate unit directly to the wall.
When installing draperies in a commercial environment, an installer may, for example, do a complete hotel having 200 rooms or more. Each room, or at least each vertical line of rooms, should have the same width (window wall to be covered). But more than often this is not the case.
Therefore, each room must be individually measured, each track must be cut to an exact length and each track must be matched to a specific room during installation. All a very time consuming and labor intensive process.
The present invention will allow the installer to cut the traverse tracks to one length slightly less than the width of the rooms in which the draperies of a given length are to be installed and the traverse track in each room will be individually extended to the desired width which can match exactly the width of rooms varying slightly in width from room to room. Thus the present invention will save an installer a considerable amount of time.